Alegria “Joy”

Alegria, means “joy” in Spanish…It is also one of the names of a particular style of Flamenco dance, which is lively and uplifted. It is danced in a 12 beat rhythm.

Amity, who is one of our best local flamenco dancers, with a fun and cheeky personality, was my primary inspiration for this piece, although there were 3 models in all. She spent many hours teaching me about this form of dance, and went through the movement, time and again so I could study the tension of the muscles as she passed through the kick.

I had originally wanted to sculpt her with her dress floating above her foot, but discovered that the lines of the sculpture and form of the anatomy needed to be uninterrupted, so Amity’s practice leotard became the perfect way in which to express this.